First impression is RIP Burn I think. It's been hit with a few nerfs that will hurt it a lot. Might still see play since it's cheap to make, easy to play and fast for ranking up, but it will be played a lot less. It might be replaced by another aggro type deck that isn't burn. I hope that's the case because we need a few aggro deck to keep some of the control decks in check.
No nerf to Unyielding Spirit is disapointing, but the nerf to Stand Alone is pretty huge I think, and is a huge nerf to how Fiora decks were played. A lot were turn 3 Fiora with Stand Alone to buff her. So if that is nerfed, it's nerfs the entire archetype and ultimately might end up being enough of a nerf to unyielding Spirit. At least it's on the Watch List.
No nerfs to Chain Vest surprises me also, I expected it to be nerfed. Similar to Unyielding Spirt, there's lot of nerfs to Demacia so will probably be a nerfs to this in a way.
Vladimir got exactly what I suggested. I'm not sure he'll be top tier, but should see some play now I think. He will definitely be experimented with for sure and I think if he's not viable yet, he's now in a much better place to fix him, or the deck he's part off to become good.
Karma, I think it might be enough. You don't really want to change her mechanic because it's unique and interesting. I think the issue has often been dropping her, and making a lot of plays in the same turn. This is now reduced somewhat. it might not be enough, but it's a decent start.
Shen, I think he's always been borderline viable, and I think this will push him to being viable. There's a big difference between 2 and 3 attack in LoR.
Vi, this is a pretty big nerf I think 5 health with Tough is pretty hard to remove, at 4 it makes her a lot easier to remove. I agree that it will make her less viable for her base stats alone which is how she was mostly being played in a lot of decks.
Hecarim got buffed but it's not going to have a huge impact I think, he wasn't played much anymore and I don't see that changing. I think SI has better options.
Greathorn Companion, I doubt he will see play, this is just a buff to Remembrance.
Grizzled Ranger and Loyal Badgerbear. It's a decent nerf to Grizzled Ranger that still keeps the card viable, Badgerbear still good to get from the Last Breath of Grizzled Ranger, but not auto include as a card itself. I think this is a good change.
Laurent Chevalier, he's better but not by much, but with the nerf to Badgerbear and Grizzled Ranger he might slip into a few decks.
Stand Alone, huge nerf I think. It basically nerfs the primary way this card was use on turn 3 on a Fiora or Zed also played on turn 3. It will either be played on a 2 drop now, or 1 turn later which is a pretty huge nerf. It will see a lot less play, and decks won't be built around it anymore, it's just going to be another tool rather than the key piece.
Legion Rearguard, I didn't expect it. Card is probably dead now, but I think it was needed for the health of the game. It will affect Burn in a huge way.
Boomcrew Rookie, the nerfs everyone expected. I think this is a good move, another big nerf to Burn.
Kindly Tarvernkeeper has always seen some play for his healing, but as a 3/3 now he's actually decent past the healing he brings. Good change but not going to be huge.
Deep Meditation, it's a pretty big nerf but totally required. I think the card is still playable but will be in a lot less decks now.
Brood Awakening, this leaves me indifferent. I don't think the card was a problem, but it was very good value. It will probably still see play but in less decks, probably only in spider decks now.
Longtooth, this is hard to judge for me since I almost never see Fizz so never see this being played.
Monkey Idol, not a card I like and I don't think it will see much play, but the possibility of a 3rd Monkey could bring about some added complexity and interaction with the card.
Slotbot, still to RNG to be reliable in my opinion but it's a buff.
Now to the Watchlist. Unyielding Spirit obviously, Demacia got a lot of nerfs which will affect the Unyielding Fiora which I believe was the worse use of the card so in that way, it got nerfed. I still think it's going to be a problem and frustrating card but might be seen a little less because of the other nerfs.
Pilfered Goods and Card Steeling, pretty much all Bilgewater decks use these, if they get nerfed the region as a whole need to have a lot of buffs to compensate depending on the nerf. I think drawing from the bottom of the deck would be a good start and be a buff to Freljord which desperately needs it. Having your buffed units stolen is a major upset, not only it makes you lose the play you made, but gives your opponent a buffed card, often at a discounted rate. It's a major major loss, so drawing from the bottom would solve that issue while keeping the concept intact and still powerful.
Conclusion, well I have enjoyed the balance strategy as a whole that Riot has done since the beginning. They usually are very targeted in their change to affect the game and meta in a very specific ways, considering many aspect on how certain changes will affect other aspect of the game. This patch is no different, and I think I agree with most of the changes. 1 more month of Unyielding Spirit kinda makes me very sad, even though the other nerfs might make it be played less.
